When bass player and the only original member beside guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, Peter Baltes, left the band a year ago or so it came as a huge surprise. It was even more surprising when he showed up on original singer Udo Dirkschneider’s latest U.D.O record last year. When the band reunited with Baltes, Hoffmann and off-and-on guitarist Hermann Frank, bringing in ex TT Quick singer Mark Tornillo, it felt cool – three Accept members from the 80’s was all cool with me. Even when Frank jumped ship it wasn’t that much of a big deal – Baltes and Hoffmann felt like the cornerstones of the band anyway.
Hoffmann as the only original member things became a bit different – in my mind anyway. I had no doubt that it would still sound like Accept but with Baltes out, Accept now feels like a Hoffmann solo thing, to be honest – especially as the other members, except Tornillo – guitarists Uwe Lulis and Philip Shouse, bassist Martin Motnik and drummer Christopher Williams – feels pretty anonymous. I had never heard of these guys before they joined Accept. I’m not worried much about the quality, though. All of the Tornillo-fronted albums have been solid even though they have always followed a great album with a slightly weaker one only to make another killer record after that. As the last album The Rise Of Chaos (2017) was good but not up to par with the brilliant Blind Rage (2014), I guess it’s time for a killer once again. Or?
Opener “Zombie Apocalypse” says it is. This is a classic Accept sounding metal-monster – uptempo, heavy, pounding and raw with in-your-face and direct melodies. It’s a propulsive juggernaut of a song with a striking, killer refrain – a perfect opener and a killer track. The title-track and second single follows. Fat, rough and heavy, the tune goes back to the bands early 80’s and as a matter of fact, the verses borrows some from their own “Breaker”. The tune ups the tempo with razor-sharp riffs and a menacing outlook yet with classic melodic vibes within the melodies. The verses are great here but the chorus isn’t as strong, unfortunately. Still a good song that will probably let rip from the stage.
Still a classic metal-blaster, “Overnight Sensation” comes in a mid-pace and brings on a chunky groove over a solid, shit-hard beat. It’s a straight-forward ballbuster where a quick nod has been sent towards the band’s Balls To The Wall (1983) era musically. It’s a rhythmic and hook-loving Metal piece that holds an unescapable chorus that will leave no old fan disappointed. Good one. Like a mix of two fantastic albums – Metal Heart (1985) and Blind Rage – “No One’s Master” comes on strong as an upbeat yet melodic hard-rocker. It’s a driving chugger with an edgy and punchy rhythm – very fist-in-face – and another one of those crowd-friendly and effective choruses. Great stuff.
Best of all, however, is the leading single “The Undertaker”. Starting out held-back, sombre and atmospheric, the verse holds a darkening ambience on top of a steady, tight groove. It’s an epic, quite bombastic number, slightly cinematic with a sinister feel and a bulls-eye hitting chorus complete with a classic “Whooohooooohoooo” gang vocal refrain. Brilliant. “Sucks To Be You” is straight-ahead, heavy, in-your-face and beefy. It’s one of those fist in the gut rockers they always have done quite well. However, this one feels like a pretty standard metal-puncher and without being a bad song, it’s forgettable and goes nowhere for me.
Accept’s 80’s comes back for a ride when the powerful and ferocious “Symphony Of Pain” bursts loose. It has all the ingredients – it’s hard, aggressive, punchy and a rough rhythm-section complete with a phenomenal solo by Hoffmann with references to Beethoven’s 9th symphony in there. There’s just one issue – I can’t find the hooks, nothing that lifts the melodies and makes it catchy. It’s not bad, it just is – and then it’s gone. For the most parts, a filler. We’re treated with a breather when the ballad “The Best Is Yet To Come” shows up. It’s a slow and emotive yet edgy piece with some delicate verse melodies that heavies up some when the superb chorus strikes. The song is the bastard child of “Can’t Stand The Night” and “Amamos La Vida”. Awesome!
“How Do We Sleep” is an upbeat, crunchy rocker with a meat n’ potatoes metal-groove. Chugging guitars, crunchy riffs and a beefy rhythm, the classic Accept way paves way for another classic “oooohoooohooooh” gang-chorus that’s really hard to resist. What breaks off things a bit is the twin-guitar, Thin Lizzy inspired guitar solo which is a cool contrast to the powerhouse Metal of the rest of the song. Good one. Fast-tracked, rowdy and muscular, “Not My Problem” runs amok like a wounded elephant through the jungle, breaking everything in its way. It’s heavy, poundy and aggressive and it sure kicks up some dust along the way. That being said, it also feels a bit rushed and lacks both hooks and catchiness. It’s ok at best.
On an instrumental note called “Samson And Delilah” – based on Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” – Accept bid their farewell for this time. It’s slow, heavy and dark carried by a brick-wall tight rhythm-section. There’s an Arabian flavor to the guitar-melodies but also lots of Hoffmann’s personal touches. Towards the end the song speeds up and gets even headbang-friendly for good measure. Hoffmann showed on his solo album Headbanger’s Symphony (2016) that he knows how to arrange instrumental to make it memorable and this song is no exception. That said, I believe this one would have been bettered with vocals. Still a really good song.
So, here’s the deal. Wolf Hoffmann is a way too professional and talented musician to release bad albums but the truth is, this one isn’t really up to standard and the weakest of all the Tornillo-fronted albums. It’s not bad at all but there are too many ups and downs and at times it feels like the band is trading water. Production-wise, it’s all Andy Sneap just like all the later efforts, like it or not. I have no issues with that at all. The good songs are all up to the high-quality we expect from Hoffman but this time too many are only good and with a couple of fillers to go with those, I can’t help but to feel somewhat underwhelmed. A good album that could/should have been great.
6/10
More Accept reviews:
Blood Of The Nations
Stalingrad
Blind Rage
The Rise Of Chaos
Tracklist:
1. Zombie Apocalypse
2. Too Mean To Die
3. Overnight Sensation
4. No One’s Master
5. The Undertaker
6. Sucks To Be You
7. Symphony Of Pain
8. The Best Is Yet To Come
9. How Do We Sleep
10. Not My Problem
11. Samson And Delilah
CD & Festival reviews 